Happily Ever After is Bull
by siriuslyitskate
Summary: Your typical RLSB fluff and stuff. Goes back and forth between Maurader's Era and Harry's Era. SLASH! Don't like, don't read.
1. Chapter 1

"I don't want this anymore Remus," Sirius said suddenly and Remus froze mid-sentence. They'd been engaged in a fight for the better part of a half hour, or rather Remus had been yelling at Sirius and Sirius just stood there, looking at the ground guiltily. "I don't want this," he repeated and Remus' heart sank, his stomach feeling as if it just tied itself in a knot. "It's not supposed to be like this." He'd finally pushed Sirius too far.

"What's not supposed to be like this?" Remus croaked, hating himself for sounding so weak.

"This! This … this …" Sirius began pacing, gesturing helplessly with his hands as if the word he was searching for was a solid object and he'd be able to grasp it any moment. "This fighting," his voice was lower now, a hint of sadness clinging to his words. Remus sighed a breath of relief; he wasn't ending their relationship … _Not yet anyway_, came the nagging voice in the back of his head. Remus chose to ignore it.

"I want things to go back to how they were before Moony," Sirius began again, his grey eyes locking with Remus' amber ones. He hadn't called him Moony in ages …. "I don't want to be Sirius and Remus anymore. I don't want these fights. I don't want these stupid bloody missions that are tearing us farther and farther apart. I don't want to know that one of these days, either of us could die. I want to be young again. No war, no responsibility …. Just … just _us_. Moony and Padfoot."

"I know … Things have been rather difficult lately …" Remus sighed. Sirius ran a hand through his long, black locks and nodded.

"Let's just start over, okay Moony?" Sirius asked, or rather pleaded. Remus smiled weakly and nodded.

"I'm sorry I yelled … I just … things have been hard lately. I worry about you … about us … about James and Lily and Harry …."

"Me too. And it's these bloody missions that make us act the way we do. The fact that we can't tell the other what we do … I hate keeping things from you."

"I know, but I understand … and I'll try to be better about it," Remus smiled again and this time Sirius returned it.

Things were more relaxed between the two after that. They were able to talk more, smile more, laugh more … just be themselves. No worries, just like when they were kids back at Hogwarts. Had that really just been a few years ago? It seemed like ages now ….

Then one night while they were sitting comfortably just enjoying each others' presence, Sirius received an owl from Dumbledore and the smile he'd been wearing for the past week faded. 

"I've got to go on another mission," he said softly. Remus nodded slowly. "I don't know when I'll be back. 

"Well … be safe, yeah?" Sirius nodded. "I love you," Remus added and a small smile formed on Sirius' lips. 

"I love you too. I'll be home soon," he smiled, kissing Remus softly. Remus nodded and returned the smile, watching Sirius walk out the door.

But the next morning when Remus woke up and read the _Daily Prophet_, he knew Sirius wouldn't be coming home.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anything HP …. Except a couple posters and the books . I was spacing out too much yesterday to remember .

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"Moony!" Sirius cried as he practically glomped Remus. Remus rolled his eyes and leaned slightly to the side, causing Sirius to flop onto his stomach next to Remus on the bed.

"Sirius," Remus replied, going back to his book. Sirius snatched the book away from his friend and grinned.

"Come on Rem, it's a beautiful day, too beautiful to be cooped up inside reading." And indeed Sirius was right, it the perfect spring day, late April of their sixth year at Hogwarts.

"Give me back my book Sirius," Remus sighed, holding his hand out for the book. Sirius shook his head vigorously, making his black locks swing back and forth in a way that reminded Remus of a dog shaking off when wet. He couldn't help but smile.

"Come on Moons, a little fresh air and sunlight would do you a world of good. Sometimes I think you're more vampire than werewolf, hiding up in the shadows with your nose stuck in a book all the time," Sirius smirked and Remus rolled his eyes again. "I'll give you chocolate," Sirius tried again in a singsong voice.

"Fine. But I want my bloody book back too." Sirius laughed.

"You just cursed!"

"Yes, stunning observation," Remus replied dryly.

"You never curse."

"What of it?"

"I kind of like it," he smirked. And before he knew it, they were kissing. Both boys pulled back abruptly and stared at each other.

"Uh … sorry," Sirius blushed, breaking the awkward silence. Remus let out a sort of strangled noise and pulled Sirius back to him and they were kissing again.

And before long, both of them forgot all about the outdoors and books and everything else in general.

"And then I said … BLOODY HELL PADS! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MOONY?!" James cried. Sirius and Remus pulled away from each other again, Sirius falling off Remus' bed in surprise. Remus blushed profusely and quickly found his book, hiding his face with it.

"Uh …. Is there something that James and I should know?" Peter asked, definitely confused as to why two of his friends had just been snogging each others' faces off. When Peter's question was met with silence, James crossed the room and looked at the floor when Sirius was lying exactly how he had landed, eyes squeezed shut.

"This is not happening," Sirius muttered.

"Look, I don't care if you two snog," James told his fellow Marauders, nudging Sirius with his foot. "Just, you could have told me and Pete first so we weren't confused."

"We didn't know we _wanted_ to snog each other until just now," Remus murmured from behind his book.

"Well I have to say, it's about bloody time you two got together," James grinned and all three of his friends stared blankly at him. "Oh come on, it's obvious you two had feelings for each other, all the glances you steel during meals and classes. I'm surprised you didn't think it was as blatantly obvious as I did. Maybe you were just blinded by love," he said the last part in a rather girlish voice, just to annoy the two and was rewarded justly by Remus throwing the book towards his head (very uncharacteristically of course) and Sirius kicking him in the shin … hard. "Ow, little bugger," James laughed as he fell to the ground and proceeded to wrestle Sirius.

"Well, I'm glad things turned out the way they did," Remus said softly after watching his friends wrestle for awhile, a smile spreading across his face. Sirius looked up at him and managed to return it before James covered his face with a pillow and tired to smother him. Remus just rolled his eyes and picked his book off the ground.

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A/N: Um yeah … this is a double first for me. First HP fic and first slash. Reviews are appreciated . 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I sadly don't own Harry Potter or any of the other characters.

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Remus sat in the kitchen and stared out the window. The cup of tea in front of him had turned cold long ago, but Remus didn't even acknowledge its presence. Nearly a week had passed since Sirius had betrayed Lily and James and Remus felt more alone that ever. Everyone he cared about was gone. Yes, he still loved Sirius, even after what he did. Remus let out a soft sigh, why would Sirius have done something like that? It was completely uncharacteristic of him ….

Remus' eyes snapped from the window to the center of the kitchen as a loud popping sound shook him from his thoughts. Dumbledore was standing there, offering the lycan a kind smile.

"How are you?" Dumbledore asked him. Remus sighed again and rubbed a hand over his face.

"How do you think?" he replied a little harsher than intended. Dumbledore wasn't fazed by his tone, he had rather expected it. Instead, he just pulled a piece of parchment out of his robes and held it out to Remus.

"He asked me to give this to you. I was hoping it would cheer you up." Remus looked at the parchment as if it would kill him. His eyes lingered for a moment on the single word, "Moony" written across the surface in Sirius' graceful hand. Remus finally reached out tentatively and took the folded paper from Dumbledore. He opened it slowly, half-dreading the words he would find written to him by his lover.

"Remus,

"**Every love has its tragedy, and now ours has too, but to have known and loved you with such profound devotion, to have had you for a part of my life, the only part I now consider beautiful, is enough for me. My passion is at a loss for words, but you can understand me, you alone. Our souls were made for one another, and by knowing yours through love, mine has transcended many evils, understood perfection, and entered into the divine essence of things.**

"You should know by now I'm not very good with all that sappy stuff, so I kind of stole that from that muggle author you like. Williams? Wallace? I don't remember the bloke's name. All I know is that he has a way with words, a quality I am desperately lacking.

"Now, I wouldn't be surprised if you don't finish this letter. I wouldn't be surprised if you don't even read it. After all, you don't owe it to me. But I owe it to you, to explain why the bloody hell I'm locked up in this cell right now. I don't care if you don't believe it, but I just need to say it.

"I didn't betray Lily and James. And I didn't kill Peter. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I have a pretty good idea. Now, as much as I trust Dumbledore, I know how the Ministry is and don't want to expose anything that could further incriminate me.

"Just at least consider what I've written and know I love you and that no matter how long I'm here, –for life I've been told, but you never know- I will always love you.

"Sirius"

Remus stared at the parchment and quickly re-read it. He smiled softly and looked up at Dumbledore.

"Thank you. You could have gotten in a lot of trouble with the Ministry for smuggling this to me," Remus said softly. Dumbledore nodded.

"I believe that he is innocent. I don't think he'd ever harm Lily or James, but we can't do anything about that now." Remus looked down at his hands which were folded over Sirius' letter and sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

"I know," he lifted his head. "I'm sorry Dumbledore, but with everything that's happened, I'm not sure I can stay here anymore. There are too many memories here … I know this is unfair of me since the Order just lost four members and five would just be cruel …"

"Actually, Frank and Alice Longbottom were abducted a few days ago. So, we've lost six. But it's understandable. Take as much time as you need." Remus nodded and thanked Dumbledore once more before going upstairs and starting to pack his things.

It wasn't for twelve years that he returned to that little flat, and when he did, he wasn't sure if he was ready to come back.

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A/N: Okay, not sure I like this chapter too much, but I decided I had to throw in something between Sirius getting arrested and then breaking out twelve years later. Plus, I wanted to use that bit in the letter. The bolded part of Sirius' letter to Remus is actually a letter from Oscar Wilde (the author of The Portrait/Picture of Dorian Grey) to his lover Bosie. My amazing friend Hannah found it in the biography of Oscar Wilde she was reading and though it was adorable and showed it to me and as soon as I saw it I knew it was perfect to use in the fic (since Wilde wrote it between his trails for "public indecency" … in other words, for being a homosexual). 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: -sigh- I don't own Harry Potter. And saying this with every chapter is slightly depressing me. Oh well ...

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"So, are we gonna finish _The Count of Monte Christo_ now?" Sirius asked eagerly, practically jumping onto Remus' bed where the lycan was finishing his homework. This had become a sort of ritual ever since Sirius had flung himself at Remus and demanded attention a few weeks ago when Remus had started reading the book. Sirius thought the plot sounded interesting and asked Remus to read it to him … which Remus thought was completely ridiculous, but started reading to his boyfriend anyway. 

Now, they were very close to finishing the book … well, still one hundred pages or so, but Remus was a fast reader and Sirius was a good listener. So, Remus quickly finished his homework and picked up his book, happy to spend some quality snuggling time with the Animagus. With only a couple dozen pages to go, James entered the room.

"Hey guys, what're you reading?"

"What have we been reading for the past three weeks Prongs?" Remus asked dryly, shooting a glare at Sirius.

"How is that my fault?"

"You keep snogging me while I'm trying to read! And then I lose our place in the book," Remus pouted and Sirius grinned. James rolled his eyes and stuffed his face with a forkful or what looked remarkably like …

"Is that chocolate cake?" Remus asked, his eyes lighting up. James smirked and nodded.

"Snagged it from the kitchens."

"And they all lived happily ever after, the end!" Remus shouted, slamming the book shut and leaping off the bed.

"WHAT?!" Sirius cried, picking the book up and scrambling off the bed and after Remus. "HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS BULL REMUS!! GET YOUR ARSE BACK HERE AND FINISH THIS BLOODY BOOK!!!" he shouted as he chased his boyfriend down the stairs, flailing the book over his head the whole time. James laughed and almost choked on his chocolate cake.

This sort of scene was a familiar one for the inhabitants of the Gryffindor Tower, however they all thought it was just a Marauder thing and didn't really register that Sirius and Remus hugged and cuddled a lot more than the other two …. Okay, so Remus and Sirius did all the hugging and cuddling … mostly. Sometimes James was seen engulfed in a hug from the boy who was his brother in everyway except blood. But the point was, none of the Gryffindors, or any of the other Hogwarts students (except Peter, James, and recently Lily) knew that Remus and Sirius were involved. The professors however ….

McGonagall stopped and stared as Sirius chased Remus down the hall, wielding a book and shouting,

"How can they _all_ be happy when Mondego is dead? YOU CAN'T BE HAPPY IF YOU'RE DEAD REMUS!" The blonde, however, just laughed and continued to run.

"Mr. Black, being the most popular boy in school among the students doesn't mean you are allowed to break the rules. No running in the halls and you know very well it's past curfew," McGonagall said sternly. Sirius, startled by this, tripped over his feet and fell flat on his face, causing Remus to burst out laughing. "Mr. Lupin, kindly escort Mr. Black back to the tower ... and please, no pit stops on the way," she said, giving him a stern glance that meant she knew exactly _why_ they'd be making pit stops. Remus blushed and helped Sirius up.

"Yes Professor."

"You only get off easy because you're a bloody lycan," Sirius whined after McGonagall rounded the corner.

"No, I get away with things because I'm a prefect and a good student."

"Whatever. And what does she mean by saying I'm only popular among the students? Teachers love me!" Remus rolled his eyes and dragged Sirius back to the tower.

James looked up as his friends entered the dorm and smirked.

"What, no cake Remus?" he teased. Remus glowered at him.

"No, Sirius made a scene and McGonagall caught us." When James raised an eyebrow, Remus rolled his eyes. "Oh, not like that Prongs, get your mind out of the gutter."

"It's not my fault Sirius is permanently horny!" James cried defensively. Remus started laughing and Sirius' jaw dropped.

"What? I am not James!"

"No, you're right, I'm sorry. You're sexually frustrated." Sirius crossed his arms and pouted.

"You've got that right," he muttered and Remus turned to him.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean you're prude and won't let me shag you," Sirius said rather bluntly. James snorted with laughter and Remus blushed.

"Wow, I never thought I'd be witness to a conversation like this between the two of you."

"First of all, shut up Prongs. Secondly, I am not prude," Remus huffed. Sirius raised an eyebrow and cocked his head.

"Then how come you won't let me shag you?" Remus sighed and flopped down on his bed.

"Because," he sighed again. "Werewolves mate for life Sirius." James had become very quiet since Remus had told him to shut up and was know watching his two best friends like they were staring in some muggle soap opera … except this was far more amusing and actually had a plot.

"And … You don't think you want to be with me that long?" Sirius asked quietly, sounding hurt. Remus lifted his head and glanced at his boyfriend.

"I never said that. It's just … once we've mated, we can't be with anyone else until one of us has died. And well, no offense, but you're not exactly monogamous." Sirius sat next to Remus and placed his hand over the lycan's.

"Ah, but that was only with girls. I didn't have any feelings for them, now did I?" he asked softly. Remus looked down at their hands and a small smile graced his lips. He looked back up at Sirius, amber eyes sparkling.

"So … you're saying … ?" Sirius turned to James and smirked.

"Hey James, don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Huh? No … why?"

"No reason, I just figured you didn't want to be here while I made Remus mine." Remus blushed profusely and James paled slightly.

"Okay, hugging and the occasional snog I can deal with, but not shagging … so you two have fun and uh … I'm gonna go find Lily," James said quickly as he sprinted from the room. Sirius turned back to Remus and grinned.

"Now … where were we?"

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A/N: I really like this chapter. I don't know why, but I do ... so yeah. I'm going to shut up now xD


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry it took me so long, I've been busy with work and school and blah blah blah, excuses, excuses. Anywho … here it is. Hope it's not too terrible.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.

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Remus was nervously pacing back and forth the living room of the small flat. Sirius was due to arrive today, but he wasn't sure what time. It was late in the evening now, and Remus had been pacing for quite some time. He sighed, looked at the clock, and went to the kitchen to boil some water for tea. 

After the kettle was on the burner, Remus sat down at the kitchen table and replayed what he planned on saying to Sirius over again in his head for about the millionth time. He nearly fell out of his seat when he heard a scratching sound at the door, because he knew immediately who it was. Jumping to his feet, Remus practically ran to the door and nearly hit himself in the face with the door as he flung it open.

A black dog was sitting right in the doorway, wagging his tail vigorously. With a bark, the dog leapt onto Remus, tackling the lycan to the ground. Remus laughed and pushed Padfoot off of himself before standing up.

"Come on you," he said, giving the dog a gentle push into the flat before closing the door. Once the door was closed, Sirius returned to his human form and turned to Remus, grinning.

"Hello," he smirked. Remus flung himself at Sirius and buried his face in his neck. He was sure he could have stayed like that forever … that is, if Sirius hadn't smelled so awful. Remus pulled himself away from the Animagus.

"Gods Sirius, you reek!"

"Seeing as I haven't had a proper shower or bath in about thirteen years …" Sirius said dryly.

"Alright, no need to use that tone," Remus rolled his eyes. "You remember where it is then?" Sirius nodded and went off just as the kettle started whistling in the kitchen.

After almost an hour, Sirius walked into the kitchen where Remus sat wearing Remus' clothes that now fit him quite well since he'd lost so much weight in Azkaban. Smiling, Sirius came up from behind his lover, wrapping his arms around the lycan's waist. Remus stiffened slightly, then relaxed into the embrace.

"I missed you," Remus murmured. Sirius buried his face in Remus' neck.

"I missed you too love," he replied. He kissed Remus' neck and pulled away from him to pour himself a cup of tea. "So, how have things been since I've been away? We really didn't get the chance to talk the last time we saw each other," he smirked. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Well yes, seeing as Harry was there and it was a full moon."

"Don't forget the dementors," Sirius pointed out. Remus chuckled.

"Yes, those too. Anyway, things have been dreadfully boring and miserable since you've been away."

"Really?"

"Yes, there was no one here to do stupid things like run into doors and chairs and say stupid things and laugh at things that really weren't funny so I've been bored."

"Hmm, I wondered when you became such a hard-ass." The men looked at each other and burst out laughing. "That's really not the only reason you missed me though, right?" Sirius asked once they'd both sobered considerably.

"Of course not. I was extremely lonely, and there was no one to keep me company during the full moon so the wolf was dreadfully lonely and you know what happens when the wolf is lonely."

"Yes, although I had hoped things would have been better because he knew that there were people who loved him, but just couldn't be there." Remus shook his head.

"No, it was worse because he wondered where everyone was and thought they'd left him," he sighed. "I have a rather terrible limp now; I don't remember exactly when that came about though."

"Remus, I really am sorry. The full moons were the hardest nights for me in Azkaban because I kept thinking about you alone and feeling miserable that I couldn't be there." Remus smiled softly and reached out to take Sirius' hand in his own.

"But now you're back, so we won't have to worry about that anymore, yeah?" Sirius smiled and nodded. "Good. Now it's late, let's get to bed." He patted Sirius' hand and took his cup and saucer to the sink. Sirius did the same and followed his lover to the bedroom.

The next morning, Remus left for another Order mission and Sirius was left alone in the flat for three days. He was completely bored out of his mind, so he decided to read the whole time, slightly shocked that he actually found reading by himself enjoyable now. Maybe he was just grateful to actually see books again after his stay in Azkaban ….

Remus was a bit nervous when he entered the flat and was greeted by complete silence. His brow furrowed and as he took off his coat and entered the flat. He smirked when he found Sirius curled up on the couch reading and wearing one of Remus' favorite jumpers, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"You know, you look like an idiot sitting there with your mouth hanging open." Sirius started and looked up to find Remus grinning at him. He smiled and tossed the book aside, jumping up to embrace him.

"It's nice to see you too Rem. I've spent three full days reading. That's how bored I've been without you." Remus feigned a gasp.

"You read all by yourself? What happened when you came across a big word?"

"I skipped over it," Sirius shrugged and Remus laughed.

"I wasn't being serious you know."

"I know, that's my job." Remus rolled his eyes.

"I forgot not to use that word around you."

"Oh, you know you love it," Sirius smirked. Remus smiled and kissed him.

"I know. I'm so glad you're back. Hopefully we'll be able to sort this whole mess out soon and clear your name."

"That'd be good. But for now, I'm content just being with you again," Sirius said softly as he buried his face in Remus' neck. Remus smiled and held Sirius close.

Sirius had changed a lot from the silly, loud teenager that he once was. He was much calmer (although he still made horrible jokes, laughed at stupid things that really weren't funny, and ran into chairs and such; then proceeded to yell at them for getting in his way) and seemed to appreciate everything more. Remus guessed it was from all those miserable years in Azkaban, but he was glad. Sirius' appreciation for life was rubbing off on him and he knew that after all that time had been wasted, they would need to make up for it.

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A/N: Meh, I don't really like this chapter that much either but hey. I figured I should update so you wouldn't all think I died or something. 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Okay, I know that I said in the first chapter it was their sixth year, well … let's pretend that it says fifth year because I don't really think I need to take down the chapter and repost it for the change of one word when I can just do this. So yeah, sorry for that xD

Disclaimer: I don't own this … or the quote from _The Picture of Dorian Gray_ because well, I'm obviously not Oscar Wilde.

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"Moony!" Remus groaned and cracked one eye open to see a very happy sixteen-year-old sitting on his chest and grinning like a mad man.

"Go away Sirius. It's too early."

"But it's Christmas!" Sirius whined. Remus groaned again and pulled a pillow over his face. Sirius took the pillow from his hands and replaced it with a package. "Open it!" Remus sighed and pushed Sirius off of himself so he could sit up to open the brightly wrapped gift.

"Oh, I've been meaning to get this, thank you," he smiled as he held up the first book, _The Three Musketeers_.

"It's by the same guy who wrote _The Conte of Monte Christo_ so I figured it would be just as good. Who knew the French could do things right?" Remus chuckled.

"I suppose I'm going to have to read this to you too?" Sirius nodded vigorously and Remus smirked before going to the next book. "_The Picture of Dorian Gray_? Never heard of it."

"Really? It seemed like something you would have read, but I figured if you had you would have liked it so I got it for you."

"Wait, you, Sirius Orion Black, have read a book that I have not? What is this world coming to?" Sirius frowned and gave Remus a soft smack in the head.

"First of all, that wasn't very nice. And secondly, I was really bored at James' this summer so I read it. It was good. Dorian reminded me of myself since he's vain –and you're always reminding me of how vain I am myself."

"Yes, but only for your own good." Sirius chose to ignore this and kept talking.

"He does some rather mean things later on, though, but I won't ruin the book for you. And Basil reminded me of you."

"Really?" Remus quirked an eyebrow. "Now I really have to read this!"

"Here, let me see it for a minute and I'll show you why they remind me of us." He snatched the book from Remus and thumbed through it until he found the page he was looking for and cleared his throat. "As they entered they saw Dorian Gray. He was seated at the piano, with his back to them, turning over the pages of a volume of Schumann's 'Forest Scenes.'

"'You must lend me these, Basil,' he cried. 'I want to learn them. They're perfectly charming.'

"'That entirely depends on how you sit today, Dorian.'

"'Oh, but I am tired of sitting, and I don't want a life-sized portrait of myself,' answered the lad, swinging round on the music-stool, in a willful, petulant manner. When he caught sight of Lord Henry, a faint blush coloured his cheeks for a moment, and he started up. 'I beg your pardon, Basil, but I didn't know you had anyone with you.'

"'This is Lord Henry Wotton, Dorian, an old Oxford friend of mine. I have just been telling him what a capital sitter you were, and now you have spoiled everything.'" Sirius closed the book and handed it back to Remus.

"Dorian is nothing like you," Remus smirked. "His vocabulary is far too large and you have absolutely no appreciation for classical music. Plus, you would never refuse the opportunity to have a full-size portrait of yourself." Sirius pouted.

"Not unless I had to sit for ages."

"Ah, fair enough," Remus smiled and kissed him softly. "Thank you Sirius. I'll start this tonight. Now, let me get your-"

"Hey, you two aren't shagging in there, are you?" They heard James ask. Sirius grinned and opened the curtains.

"No, but it would be a fun way to spend Christmas morning," he grinned. James rolled his eyes.

"Well, come on. Breakfast isn't going to be out all day. Food now, presents later!"

After breakfast, the Marauders returned to their dorm to exchange presents. James scolded Sirius once he found he'd already given Remus his gift, but he got over it pretty soon.

Remus got lots of chocolate and quite a few books. He was glad with all of them –although he had read some already- and was very grateful for the cozy new sweaters his parents sent him.

Sirius mainly got gag-gifts from Zonko's, the type where you think they're the funniest thing when you first get them, then later on you look at them and think to yourself, 'Great, now what the hell am I supposed to do with this?' His favorite gift was supposed to be that type of gift. It was a belt from James, but not just any belt, oh no. This one had mistletoe on the buckle. Sirius grinned when he opened it and immediately showed it to Remus who frowned at him.

"You really don't think I'm going to let you use that are you?"

"Yeah, actually that's exactly what I was thinking." Remus sighed.

"We'll see," he said simply and Sirius smiled contently before setting it aside to open the rest of his presents. This was definitely going to be the best Christmas ever.

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A/N: So yeah, just felt like throwing a silly little Christmas chapter in there. It would be good for future chapters coughChapterEightcough to remember that Sirius compared himself to Dorian and Remus to Basil. It's not really like, "Oh my God if I don't remember this I'm gonna die!!!" But Remus makes a uses it against Sirius and that's all I'm going to say for now . Hope you enjoyed this.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.

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"Merlin, I had hoped I'd never have to come back to this horrid place," Sirius muttered, casting a venomous glance around 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Don't forget you're the one who suggested we use this place as headquarters," Remus reminded as he proceeded to drag his trunk up the stairs.

"If you need help, just ask," Sirius sighed as he lifted the other side of the trunk. Remus smiled softly in thanks. Once they'd reached the second floor, Remus frowned and glanced around.

"Um, Sirius? How much dark magic is in this house?" he asked, pretty sure he'd seen something scurry into the shadows. Sirius hadn't seemed to notice.

"Oh, hadn't thought about that."

"Brilliant Sirius," Remus rolled his eyes.

"Well, let's check my old room first." The two men abandoned the trunk and walked down the hall. Cautiously, Sirius opened the door and sighed with relief as he found it just the way he left it … a little dustier, but basically the same. "Good, we can stay in here. There's enough room for both of us." Remus nodded in approval and they went back into the hall to retrieve the trunk. Remus gasped as some grotesque creature ran past them.

"What the bloody hell was that?" he cried and Sirius burst out laughing.

"And Dumbledore made you Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?" he asked incredulously. Remus frowned and smacked him. "Okay, ow! No need to get testy over an evil little bugger of a house elf!"

"That was a house elf?" What he had just seen reminded him more of the type of creature one could picture crawling out of Stephen King's Pet Cemetery.

"Yeah, Kreature. Appropriate name, don't you think?" Remus rolled his eyes again. Suddenly, someone started screaming bloody murder downstairs and Sirius flinched instinctively.

"I thought that old broad was dead?" Sirius thought aloud, bolting downstairs. Remus followed close behind. "Ah, it's just a painting. That's a relief."

"TRAITOR! BLOOD TRAITOR!" the portrait of Walburga shrieked. Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed agitatedly.

"As if I don't have enough crap to deal with," he sighed. Then he raised his head and glared at his mother. "Pleasure seeing you too Mother. Say hello to my friend, Remus."

"Now you're bringing half-breed filth into my home as well? I should have killed you the day you were born!"

"Like I haven't heard that one before. Anyway, it's time for you to go back to sleep." Quickly, Sirius conjured up some curtains to cover the portrait and after a few moments, she quieted her screaming. "I don't feel like dealing with that bitch at the moment," Sirius said quietly. "You okay?" Remus had paled considerably.

"Yeah … I just … How did you deal with her?" Sirius shrugged at this.

"You get used to it after awhile. I was never what my parents expected me to be, never good enough. They reminded me of it everyday." Remus pulled Sirius into an embrace.

"Well, they didn't deserve to have you as their son," he murmured, kissing Sirius softly. Sirius melted into his embrace.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

"What?" The curtains opened on their own accord and Remus and Sirius froze to stare at the painting, still locked in their embrace. Walburga –or at least her painting- was furious. "So you're dishonoring your name again, this time by being with a man romantically?"

"Oh, get over it your old broad. After sixteen years of living with a woman like you is it really any surprise that I prefer men?" Sirius asked with a glare as he closed the curtains and applying a sticking charm.

"That was a rather good come back if I do say so myself Sirius," Remus smirked. Sirius grinned.

"Well, it's true. I tried to like girls, but I always saw a bit of my mum in each of them," he feigned a shudder, then grinned even more and grabbed Remus' hand. "Now come on, I've got the perfect idea on how to desecrate my parents' room."

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A/N: Not very happy with this one, but hey. And yes, I know Remus was a little OOC with the whole Kreature thing.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: **Warning:** This chapter contains Dorian Gray spoilers ... sort of ... xD

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Dorian Gray characters/plots/etc.

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"Remus." The word came out as more of a question that the statement Sirius had intended it to be.

"I guess this is the part where Dorian stabs Basil?" Remus asked without turning to look at Sirius.

"Pardon?" Remus turned to the Animagus and Sirius could tell he'd been crying. His heart fell to know he was the cause of Remus' tears.

"When you gave me the _Picture of Dorian Gray_, you said you saw a lot of yourself in Dorian and that Basil reminded you of me. So I asked if this is the part where Dorian stabs Basil?"

"Remus … I-"

"You what? How could you do this Sirius?"

"I … I wasn't … I didn't mean it …." Sirius said, sounding like a scolded child. "I love you Remus.

"Funny way of showing it."

"You have to believe me! I _do_ love you!"

"I don't know to believe right now Sirius. I could have killed him! Then where would I be?" Sirius looked at his shoes as he felt his eyes start stinging.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"This time, sorry isn't good enough," Remus said, his voice cold. "I think we should take a break." Sirius felt a strange pain in his chest, his tears started falling freely. Remus brushed past him and left the dorm. Sirius fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands, sobbing.

Nearly a month passed without Remus even acknowledging Sirius' presence. Sirius knew he deserved this, but it still hurt. One day, Sirius was walking back to the Gryffindor Tower after dinner … alone. Peter and James were at least talking to him, but he wasn't Padfoot anymore, he was just Sirius. It was like they had kicked him out of the group. Which was fine, because he knew he deserved it.

Sirius paused in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. She looked down at him as if he was the scum on the bottom of her shoe. Everyone at Hogwarts (including the paintings) knew Sirius had done something awful to Remus and they weren't very happy with it.

"Password?" she asked disdainfully. Sirius stared at her a moment, then turned and headed for the Astronomy Tower.

An hour later, the three Marauders were playing Exploding Snaps in the common room. Remus kept looking around.

"You okay Moony?" James asked. Remus sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Didn't Sirius leave the Great Hall before us?"

"Yeah, why?"

"He's not here or in the dorm …" James looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Look, I might be furious with him right now, but I still love him and I'm worried." James nodded in understanding and thought a moment.

"Sometimes he goes to the Astronomy Tower to think. I'd check there." Remus stood and left the common room.

He found Sirius where James said he would be, sitting on a ledge, his feet dangling over the ground far below.

"Sirius?" The boy flinched, but remained silent. Remus took a step forward. "What are you doing?"

"Contemplating the pros and cons of dying," he said rather bluntly. Remus' heart clenched painfully and he rested a hand on Sirius' shoulder. Sirius jerked his shoulder away from Remus' touch. "You'd all be better off without me."

"Sirius … stop being stupid."

"I'm not being stupid."

"Yes you are. We may be angry, but we don't want you to die." Sirius scoffed. "I mean it."

"I don't know how else to show you I love you," he said miserably.

"And killing yourself would?" Sirius didn't answer and Remus sighed, holding his hand out to the boy. "You want to prove you love me? Get off that ledge and come back with me to the common room with me." Sirius stared at Remus' hand before slowly sliding off the ledge and taking it tentatively.

Remus smiled softly and gave his hand a quick squeeze before leading him back to the common room, holding his hand the whole way. He still hadn't forgiven him yet, but he would eventually, and things would get better.

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A/N: Angsty, but fluffy-ish. Things will get better between them, I promise xD By the way, Oscar Wilde believed that killing yourself was the greatest expression of love. Sorry, had to slip that in there .


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